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The Smithsonian spent $7.5 million in pandemic-related expenses with questionable purchases of face masks and sanitizers and the salary of a doctor who barely treated COVID patients, according to a damning report.
A federal government inspector says the world-renowned museum and research center spent nearly $1.7 million of those funds on overpriced pandemic-related items, without shopping around for a better price.
The botched spending included $28,634 for water fountains at the National Zoo that did nothing to prevent the virus, and a $214,465-a-year doctor who saw virtually no coronavirus patients.
The Smithsonian did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Smithsonian’s poor tracking of COVID money means it may not receive a cent in the next crisis
A tourist visits the Smithsonian National Zoo during the pandemic in August 2020
This overspending highlights how government departments and institutions chaotically spent taxpayer-funded CARES Act funds after COVID swept across the United States, killing 1.2 million people and sending the country in lockdown.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general said in its report that the museum “failed to consistently expend CARES Act funds in accordance with applicable laws, policies, and procedures.”
Inspector General Christi Grimm
The museum received $7.5 million in pandemic relief funds but was unable to account for $1,673,577 of those expenses, in some cases because it overpaid for items because he didn’t shop, the report said.
This included $502,738 spent on face masks and hand sanitizers, the 39-page report said.
An additional $28,999 was spent on hand-operated water fountains, printing supplies, a phone case and a fire safety guide, which were not eligible for funding.
The water fountains at the zoo’s Asian Trail were supposed to be operated by sensors, so guests wouldn’t touch the devices and spread the virus.
But museum officials soon realized there was no electricity in that part of the zoo, and the fountains were replaced with regular manual fountains, which were not eligible for funding.
The auditor also focused on a doctor who made $214,465 a year and was hired at the start of the pandemic in July 2020.
The Smithsonian Didn’t Shop for the Best Price When Buying Masks and Sanitizer
The doctor’s boss estimated that 95 percent of their workload was related to the pandemic.
But upon inspection, it was revealed that only 6% of their appointments were for COVID patients.
The Smithsonian needs to work harder to justify its purchases, track taxpayer-funded items and record transactions, the report said.
“Failure to fully address these issues could impact the Smithsonian’s ability to effectively manage future emergency funding,” it says.
This is just the latest example of mismanagement of COVID-19 funds.
Investigators found that the $1 billion fund Congress gave the Pentagon for pandemic medical equipment was primarily funneled to defense contractors and used to make items such as engine parts jets, bulletproof vests and uniforms.
Last year, an AP investigation found that the fraudulent and questionable use of COVID cash was “the biggest scam in U.S. history.”
Fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funds; Another $123 billion was wasted or misspent.
In total, these losses represented 10% of the $4.2 trillion disbursed by the US government for COVID-related humanitarian aid.